Gas lighter



y 7, 1968 SADAO YOSHINAGA 3,382,028

GAS LIGHTER Filed March 14, 1966 INVENTOR SADAO YOSHINAGA BY Semmes (K2Semme:

United States Patent 3,382,028 GAS LIGHTER Sadao Yoshinaga, Tokyo,Japan, assignor to Yoshinaga Prince Kabushiki Kaisha, Taito-ku, Tokyo,Japan Filed Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 536,567

Claims priority, application Japan, Dec. 16, 1965,

3 Claims. (Cl. 431-150) The present invention relates generally toburner valves for gas lighters and in particular to novel featureseliminating or minimizing damage to operating parts.

Numerous patented gas lighters, such as those disclosed in 1U.S. PatentsNos. 2,620,643, 2,737,037, 2,836,- 044 and 3,114,249 for example, employvalve stems designed to be depressed by lighter cap for purposes ofclosing valve. Usually, the abrupt depression against valve stem tendsto damage or wear valve components adjacent edge of valve seat. Withcontinued use, improper functioning usually results. Frequently, adepressing member of resilient material is employed in an attempt toavoid wear and tear, usually resulting in unreliable and poor closingoperation of valve.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide asystem for resiliently suspending a valve stem upwardly in such mannerthat upon being depressed it will be prevented from striking the valveseat abruptly, thereby relieving or dampening shock caused by the innpact of lighter cap and possible damage to the valve body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a burner valvemechanism for a gas lighter a depressing member sutficiently hard andstationary such that positive depression against the valve stem may beassured while preventing damage to the nozzle tip, it being preferredthat the depressing member be made of aluminum or alloy of same, knownas being relatively soft metal.

A further object of the present invention is to provide in a gas lighterburner valve assembly means for resiliently supporting a valve stem tocushion impact against same during lighter use while providing positivevalve closing with use of depressing member of metal softer than thatotherwise employed in lighter while not being extremely elastic.

Other objects will become apparent from the ensuing specification andaccompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of lighter with cap over. lying burnervalve which is in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of lighter with cap in raised positionand burner valve in open position; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of burner valveand associated lighter cap of the present invention.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 gen erally designatescombustion or burner valve which is mounted at corner of lighter body 3.In conventional manner (not shown) a sparking or ignition system isemployed, as well as filling-valve. Valve 1 consists of outer tubularvalve member or housing 4 fixed in position with respect to lighter body3, first inner valve member 5 threadedly engageable within outer member4 for vertical adjustment, and second inner valve member 7 reciproca blymounted within adjustable valve member 5 with the use of coiled spring6. Porous elastic material '8 is located between the bottom ofstationary outer valve member 4 and first inner adjustable valve member5.

Stationary outer valve member 4 includes passageway 11 at the bottomthereof for transporting liquefied gas from lighter reservoir to porousmaterial 8. Also, the inside wall of member 4 is provided with screwthreads 12 permitting vertical adjustment of first inner valve member 5.

Cap 2, normally biased in closed position in conventional manner, isprovided with stationary support 10 into which depressing member 9, ofsoft metal, is screwed as described in detail hereinafter.

Within the bottom of adjustable member 5 is located passageway 13 fortransporting fuel from porous member 8 while recess 14 extends about theperiphery thereof into which is inserted O-ring 15. The referencenumeral 16 generally designates a valve seat formed by that portion ofadjustable member 5 which is adjacent the upper end of passageway 13.Further upward along adjustable member 5 is located step 17 definingwithin the upper part of adjustable member 5 an enlarged compartment 18.Of course, inner valve member 7 is urged. upwardly by coiled spring 6which rests between ledge 20 and step 17. Mounted within the bottom ofinner valve member 7 is body 19, formed of rubber, soft synthetic resin,or the like.

Within inner valve body 7 is located a first generally horizontal bore21 and a second generally vertical bore within valve stem or nozzle 22intersecting same to form a continuous passageway for discharginggaseous fuel from within compartment 18 to outside. As is now apparent,inner valve member 7 is urged upward by spring 6 to thus permit fuel toflow between valve seat 16 and body 19 (FIG. 2). Alternatively, underpressure of lighter cap 2, valve stem '7 is urged downwardly against theaction of spring 6 to position body 19 upon valve seat 16 in coveringrelationship with respect to passageway 13.

To assemble, inner valve member 7 is inserted within compartment 18above adjustable member 5 after which coiled spring 6 is positioned onstep 17. Then, screw cap 23, provided with a central opening throughwhich valve stem or nozzle 22 protrudes, is screwed in place withinadjustable member 5, thereby enclosing tightly compartment 18.

Depressing member 9 includes stem 27 threadedly engaged within tappedhole 26 in support 10 above recess 24. In this manner, the tip of valvestem or nozzle 22 contacts the center 25 of depressing member 9, theexact time and place of contact being variable by adjusting the extentto which depressing member 9 is screwed Within support 10.

Depressing member 9 is preferably made of aluminum or aluminum alloy,known to be relatively soft among metals but not too elastic. In anyevent, it is preferred that depressing member 9 be softer than othermetal employed in lighter to prevent damage to nozzle 22 upon impact.

In the second embodiment of FIG. 3, cap 2a is integral with support 10awhile attachment 28, of hard metal such as chrome steel, is mounted uponthe tip of valve stem or nozzle 22a. In this manner, the area of contactbetween nozzle 22a and center 25 of depressing member 9 is increased,while preventing tip of burner 22a from being deformed. Obviously, cap 2of FIG. 1 may be employed in conjunction with the modified combustionvalve of FIG. 3 or the combustion valve of FIG. 1 may be employed inconnection with the modified cap of FIG. 3. Of course, the caps andcombustion valves of FIGS. 1 and 2 are identical.

Manifestly, variation of the burner valve and cap as sembly of thepresent invention may be envisioned without departing from the spiritand scope of invention as defined in the sub-joined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A gas fueled cigarette lighter, comprising:

(A) a casing having a reservoir contained therein;

(B) a burner cover mounted upon said casing together with meanspermitting said cover to be pivoted, said cover including within thebottom thereof an in ternally threaded portion;

'(C) a burner valve assembly mounted upon said casing together withpassageway means connecting said valve assembly and said reservoir, saidvalve assembly including a stationary outer valve member incommunication with said reservoir, a first inner valve member adjustablymounted within said outer valve member and containing a passagewaytherein, a porous elastic member positioned between said stationaryouter valve member and said inner valve member such that fuel istransported through said porous member into said passageway of saidfirst inner valve member, together with means for regulating thepressure exerted on said porous member by said first inner valve memberto control the flow of fuel therethrough, a second inner valve memberhav- 1 ing a passageway therein and mounted for reciproeating movementwithin said first inner valve member to open and close said passagewayof said first inner valve member together with means normally 10 thatotherwise employed in said lighter.

2. A gas lighter as in claim 1, wherein said depressing member is madeof aluminum alloy.

3. A gas lighter as in claim 2, including a hard metal attachmentmounted upon the top of said nozzle portion 5 of said second inner valvemember.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS resiliently biasing said secondinner valve member 20 217371937 3/1956 Zenweger 67 7-1 X upwardly toopen said passageway of said first inner 3140993 7/1964 Bflumann et a1valve member, said second inner valve member fur- 3,165,908 1/1965Klhfifather including an upwardly extending nozzle portion 3,210,96510/1965 Heling 677.I extending beyond such stationary outer valve mem3,213,647 10/1965 Sakamoto 67-7.1 ber and said first inner valve member,together with 25 means for transporting fuel from said passageway ofFOREIGN PATENTS said first inner valve member to said passageway 9 04119 4 Canada,

of second inner valve member; and

(D) a depressing member having an externally thread- EDWARD J. MICHAEL,Primary Examiner.

1. A GAS FUELED CIGARETTE LIGHTER, COMPRISING: (A) A CASING HAVING ARESERVOIR CONTAINED THEREIN; (B) A BURNER COVER MOUNTED UPON SAID CASINGTOGETHER WITH MEANS PERMITTING SAID COVER TO BE PIVOTED, SAID COVERINCLUDING WITHIN THE BOTTOM THEREOF AN INTERNALLY THREADED PORTION; (C)A BURNER VALVE ASSEMBLY MOUNTED UPON SAID CASING TOGETHER WITHPASSAGEWAY MEANS CONNECTING SAID VALVE ASSEMBLY AND SAID RESERVOIR, SAIDVALVE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A STATIONARY OUTER VALVE MEMBER INCOMMUNICATION WITH SAID RESERVOIR, A FIRST INNER VALVE MEMBER ADJUSTABLYMOUNTED WITHIN SAID OUTER VALVE MEMBER AND CONTAINING A PASSAGEWAYTHEREIN, A POROUS ELASTIC MEMBER POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID STATIONARYOUTER VALVE MEMBER AND SAID INNER VALVE MEMBER SUCH THAT FUEL ISTRANSPORTED THROUGH SAID POROUS MEMBER INTO SAID PASSAGEWAY OF SAIDFIRST INNER VALVE MEMBER, TOGETHER WITH MEANS FO REGULATING THE PRESSUREEXERTED ON SAID POROUS MEMBER BY SAID FIRST INNER VALVE MEMBER TOCONTROL THE FLOW OF FUEL THERETHROUGH, A SECOND INNER VALVE MEMBERHAVING A PASSAGEWAY THEREIN AND MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENTWITHIN SAID FIRST INNER VALVE MEMBER TO OPEN AND CLOSE SAID PASSAGEWAYOF SAID FIRST INNER VALVE MEMBER TOGETHER WITH MEANS NORMALLYRESILIENTLY BIASING SAID SECOND INNER VALVE MEMBER UPWARDLY TO OPEN SAIDPASSAGEWAY OF SAID FIRST INNER VALVE MEMBER, SAID SECOND INNER VALVEMEMBER FURTHER INCLUDING AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING NOZZLE PORTION EXTENDINGBEYOND SUCH STATIONARY OUTER VALVE MEMBER AND SAID FIRST INNER VALVEMEMBER, TOGETHER WITH MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING FUEL FROM SAID PASSAGEWAYOF SAID FIRST INNER VALVE MEMBER TO SAID PASSAGEWAY OF SECOND INNERVALVE MEMBER; AND (D) A DEPRESSING MEMBER HAVING AN EXTERNALLY THREADEDPORTION SCREWED WITHIN SAID INTERNALLY THREADED PORTION OF SAID BURNERCOVER AND INCLUDING A LOWER SURFACE ENGAGING SAID NOZZLE PORTION OF SAIDSECOND INNER VALVE MEMBER SUCH THAT THE POSITION OF SAID LOWER SURFACEIN RELATION TO THE TOP OF SAID NOZZLE PORTION CAN BE ADJUSTED TO THUSVARY THE FORCE APPLIED TO SAID NOZZLE PORTION BY SAID DEPRESSING MEMBERAS SAID DEPRESSING MEMBER CONTACTS SAME, SAID DEPRESSING MEMBER BEINGMADE OF A METAL SOFTER THAN THAT OTHERWISE EMPLOYED IN SAID LIGHTER.